Contents

Overview

Bulwer-Lytton was inspired to write his work whilst touring Italy, and becoming active during the excavations of the ruined city of Pompeii that were underway at the time. Bulwer-Lytton's involvement allowed his depiction of Pompeii to be accurate in detail, unlike later works.

Plot

The Last Days of Pompeii takes place in the town of Pompeii in 79 AD. The novel follows Glaucus, a slave from Greece who is a reformed Christian. As Christians were persecuted by the pagan Romans, Glaucus is hunted by his masters as he flees Pompeii, whose heathen residents are punished for their sins by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Film adaptation

An Italian film adaptation of the novel was made in 1913. It was a silent film and was one of few later adaptations to follow the novel faithfully.[1]